Graham Nash

It’s Graham Nash’s birthday today, which seems like a jolly good reason to reacquaint yourselves with some of the fine music he has helped create down the years, or perhaps, lucky you, discover some of it for the first time. From the joy-filled pop classics of The Hollies to the stunning vocal harmonies that came about when working with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and occasionally Neil Young, the trio that became a quartet were counter-culture standard-bearers whose songs have brought solace to many during turbulent times.

Two lines stand out. From ‘Teach Your Children Well’, originally written for The Hollies, from Déjà Vu (1970):

“You of tender years can’t know the fears that your elders grew by”

The other is from ‘To the Last Whale (A. Critical Mass/B. Wind On the Water)’, which closes 1975’s Wind On the Water, the second Crosby & Nash album:

“It’s a shame you have to die to put the shadow on our eye”

Great lines that make you pause to think. Maybe you have a favourite lyric that resonates strongly with you.

I’ve always loved Hollies hits and those exquisite three-part harmonies with Messrs Crosby and Stills equally, yet perhaps, on reflection, I admire Graham Nash most of all for always speaking his mind – for example, here, here, on ‘Almost Gone (The Ballad of Bradley Manning)’, written with James Raymond, or here.

OK, just about any interview with Graham Nash is worth a read. Or a view, as this recent conversation with Rita Coolidge ably demonstrates.

One of the musical highlights from the last year was This Path Tonight, Graham’s sixth solo studio album, released in April; I’m listening to his second as I write this, 1974’s Wild Tales – ‘Oh! Camil (The Winter Soldier)’ and ‘Prison Song’ are its stand-out tracks for me.

For his political activism, his support of liberal and environmental causes (not to mention his backing of Gary McKinnon) and for the incomparable beauty he and David Crosby added to On an Island, both live and in the studio, I hope you can raise a glass of whatever it is you like to drink in a toast tonight to one of music’s most frank and fearless servants.

Author: FEd

Features Editor of David Gilmour's official blog, The Blog ('Features' previously being its rather naff title), affectionately - or lazily - shortened to 'FEd'.
View all posts by FEd

I really like This Path Tonight; it’s a melancholic and consoling album. And I like the album Graham Nash David Crosby from 1972, my father heard it a lot, so it became very familiar to me from early on. And I understood embarrassingly late that “Miss Mitchell” was of course Joni Mitchell.

And I think Nash is a very kind and balancing person which was maybe necessary in CSN(Y).

I liked his words about having no clue “what was she doing with me”. Don’t know how much irony there was in the words, but having just a minute listened to her, you think yes, nobody probably could match her indeed ..

Personally I prefer things like holes of chair’s back to be a bit more obvious, easier recognizable. But the face is perfect, I agree, very good moment catching.

CSN from Crosby, Stills and Nash was one of my first LPs (ah, yes, back in the days when you still bought vinyl, browsing in record stores for hours, listening to the album first in one of those cabins … How I miss all that).

I really love The Hollies though, especially ‘Bus Stop’. It still plays like a film in my head every time I hear it, wonderful song.

Computer errors don’t always mean what they say, but yes, you described it all well Suzy. Quite nervous moment. I even forgot to say happy birthday to Mr Nash, and how much I like his work on “On an Island” and on “A Boat Lies Waiting”.

My first thought was that people in China can not see YouTube, and someone else (North Korea, I think) even blocks Wikipedia, I heard.

I’ve seen Graham Nash with CSNY, CSN, Crosby and Nash, was fortunate enough to be at the RAH show where Crosby and Nash sang backup in 2015. The odd thing was that they sang backup on ‘A Boat Lies Waiting’ but didn’t stay onstage to sing harmony on ‘The Blue’ which followed immediately (they performed it with him 2006).

Not only a great musician and songwriter, but from the interviews and stories I’ve read he seems like a beautiful human being as well.

Happy Birthday Graham and I am looking forward to seeing you perform again!

Noticed the other day that come March a female singer will be releasing her latest album. To celebrate her 100th birthday Dame Vera Lynn is bringing out a new album….don’t think though that there’s a track along the lines of ‘Does anybody here remember Pink Floyd’!

Good Luck Dame Vera and long may she continue….along with everybody else.

May 26th – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. I remember that night well, thank you Graham. Although having to walk past Old Trafford nearly spoilt the day for me. And all the Man United fans asking me where the ground was, LOL.

My very first concert was CSN at The Boston Garden in the late Seventies. I was in high school and like a lot of firsts in life, it was quite an event for me and my friends. I still remember exactly where I sat. I have been in love with live music since that show. Have seen them in various configurations (CSN, C & N, CSNY) many times over the years, their harmonies are breathtaking. “Find The Cost of Freedom” with David is amazing.

A funny story on a memorable lyric (although not written by Nash, but by Stills) is about the song “Love The One You’re With”. It caused a minor uproar at my high school when at the end of the my senior school year, one of the English teachers brought in his guitar and brought his class outside to sit on the grass and listen to him play (he was one of the cool teachers). There was a lot of nervous whispers and giggles throughout the school about him singing “If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with”. What a different world it was then. Can’t imagine that these days it would even garner a second of attention….

An exciting time for sky watch with the full “Snow” moon.
For some there was a lunar eclipse.
Also a comet passing by.
Then on the 26th a solar eclipse.
Many celestial occurences.
I have always enjoyed such events.
They are exhilarating, exciting, beautiful, and free.

Of what I know of Graham Nash, he seems to be a very down to earth person who has dedicated his life to the arts. I admire that. He is a role model and one of my heroes!

Come to speak of heroes, because I listen to it right now and because I think a lot of people like this kind of music reading this blog: Have a look at Steve Rothery’s Music (just YouTube “best solos of Steve Rothery”)… you won’t be disappointed… I must say very Gilmoury in style 😉 … now it’s time for some CSN though.

Happy Birthday Graham. As harsh as it may seem, I also love Stephen Stiils as an artist, and a Canadian Neil Young, with in my opinion too much attitude, yet a legend in his own right. Bravo to them. David Crosby I feel may have been the glue! But, what do I know anyway! LOL.

P.S. FEd, where did you go for winter break this year? Was it warm or a cool venue?

Totally engaged with “The Girl in the Yellow Dress” at the moment. Can’t think of anything but how incredible it is, and the whole album, and you can’t not fall in love with David Gilmour just hearing him! And yet there is “Dancing Right in Front of Me”, many surprises and discoveries to come.. . Do you envy FEd? 😀

That sounds like a fun thread for any day. March 1 is “National Dadgum That’s Good Day” which is similar to what I think when I hear SRV, Hendrix and of course Gilmour. I’m also yearning today for some Howling Wolf, “Built for Comfort, I Ain’t Built for Speed” which was my theme song when I was pregnant. (Embryo was Eden’s theme song when she was in my belly.)

Speaking of Hendrix….I’ve got a tribute show coming up March 8th here in Denver that I’m super excited for. The Experience Hendrix tour. Two guitarists that are on my all-time must-see list will be playing. Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. I’m preparing to have my socks knocked off.

Anyway, always good to e-see you FEd. And any time you want to throw the best/worst love songs list up would be fun.

I hope you’re feeling much better. I’ve started using Berocca and it works. And I’ve started eating more healthy food ie porridge in the morning, no booze unless at a DG gig and I have been off smoking for must be 2 years now.

So, no “No More Turning Away”, nor “What Do You Want From Me?”, thinking of ‘global love’, or humanity; no “Yet Another Movie”, “Momentary Lapse of Reason”, thinking of simply 🙂 personal love (or was it an idea of love?); no “A Great Day For Freedom”, thinking of the both, then? …Till May?

FEd, what exactly is so excellent about “Imagine”, by the way? The three banal chords.. In my view, the “dark horse” of the Beatles did it better: “They call you Christ, Vishnu, Buddha, Jehovah, Our Lord You are, Govindam, Bismillah, Creator of All You are the One No matter what You are the real love that I’ve got…” (“Life Itself”)

“Love Comes to Everyone” is good too, would fit any GLD event better than anything else, I think. I just imagine people singing and dancing around the globe, holding each others hands, wear chains of flowers, small bells jingle…nice.. “There in your heart… Something that’s never changing; Always a part of… Something that’s never ageing, That’s in your heart…It’s so true it can happen to you all; there, Knock and it will open wide, And it only takes time ‘Til love comes to everyone.”

…Only takes two months, yeah… I think I’ll have a George Harrison Day (after this David Gilmour’s week). Just for today. Just for one night. Not waiting for May 1, not even his birthday which is… when? Must be soon I think. I love Cloud Nine of course, though.

Just wanna recommend Little Frictions by Elbow, I bought it yesterday and cant stop listening to it. Wonderful pure, gentle tunes and so good that it will entertain me while I am waiting for a random DVD by a random guy who has two very nice looking random dogs. 😉